Soft drinks and sugar deadly for kidney health

Two new studies have highlighted the potential negative effects that soft drinks and sugar can have on kidney health.

In one study, researchers led by Ryohei Yamamoto, MD, PhD (Osaka Univ Graduate School of Medicine, in Japan) found that consuming at least two soft drinks per day is linked with proteinuria or increased excretion of protein in the urine, which is a hallmark of kidney dysfunction.

Meanwhile, another study led by Agustin Gonzalez-Vicente (Case Western Reserve University) and conducted in rats found that moderate fructose intake increases the kidney's sensitivity to angiotensin II, a protein that regulates salt balance.

This leads to increased salt reabsorption by cells in the kidneys, a finding that might help explain why consumption of high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener may contribute to the epidemic of diabetes, obesity, kidney failure, and hypertension.

The studies were presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.